"Unveiling the Mystery: Is There a Ghost in Kate Middleton and Prince William's Country Home?"

Article by Erin Vanderhoof

In 2011, at the time of their royal wedding, Kate Middleton and Prince William received Anmer Hall as a gift from Queen Elizabeth II. Anmer Hall is a Georgian style home on the royals’ Sandringham Estate. Over the years, the couple has transformed the home into an idyllic country retreat, adding a conservatory, installing a high-end kitchen, and setting up several beehives. However, according to Richard Felix, a historian specializing in the paranormal, the house supposedly came with its very own eerie inhabitant. On an episode of Hello!’s podcast A Right Royal Podcast, Felix told listeners that, prior to their move, Kate and William were informed about the purported presence of a ghost of a wrongly executed Catholic priest that had once lived on the premises.

Felix elaborated that the ghost was said to be of a Catholic priest that had been deemed a traitor and brutally executed. The Duke and Duchess were reportedly warned about the ghost prior to their move, allegedly prompting a tongue-in-cheek reaction from Prince William: “No old hall would be complete without a ghost, would it?”

While Felix did not name the Catholic priest, the implication is that he was alluding to Henry Walpole, a Jesuit who resided at Anmer Hall during the 16th century. Walpole was executed in April 1595 for refusing to swear allegiance to Elizabeth I’s domination over religious issues. Walpole was declared a saint by the church in 1970, and a local church in Norfolk bears his name.

As for Halloween celebrations, the Duke and Duchess prefer to keep things light-hearted for their three children, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis, opting for a more traditional approach rather than telling ghost stories. In a post on Instagram in the previous year, Kate’s mother, Carole Middleton, remarked on how much she enjoys the holiday. She shared, “Halloween is an autumn highlight for me. I can distinctly recall the fun and frights from my own childhood; having the opportunity to dress up, decorate pumpkins and go trick-or-treating...This year, I have even grown my own pumpkins, and I am eagerly anticipating decorating them with my loved ones.”